


You Are Not The Only One

by Agent_Black_Spider



Series: The Scariest Monsters Are Not Always The Ones We See [1]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, Bucky Barnes - Freeform, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Bucky Barnes has a heart, Bucky needs a hug, Cute Peter, December Fanfic Challenge, Family Dynamics, Gen, Hot Chocolate, Hurt Peter, Nightmares, Other, Peter Parker - Freeform, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker fluff, Peter is a Little Shit, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Peter Parker, Support, teenager Peter Parker, tony stark - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2020-12-27 05:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21113441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agent_Black_Spider/pseuds/Agent_Black_Spider
Summary: Please rip my grammar to shreds, I need the harsh or strong critiques to improve my work.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please rip my grammar to shreds, I need the harsh or strong critiques to improve my work.

It was pitch black.

Blinking momentarily, he glanced around and willed his pupils to adjust to his surroundings. He saw dark shifting shadows as his eyes bounced from one corner to another. He could have sworn that he caught sight of a tall, thin man in a uniform staring at him while he slept but he tried to convince himself that was mistaken. However, one could not be so sure. In a desperate act to confirm that nothing was not lurking, the young hero launched a pillow into the darkness. Listening carefully, he noted that it didn’t make contact with a body and so he resumed trying to adjust. 

A moment passed and during his search for nothing, he caught the faint green glow of his alarm and scoffed. To his dismay, it read three-thirty. Of course, because why would it not? He hadn’t received a restful and pleasant night's sleep in almost a year. Sighing deeply, he tossed his comforter and swung his legs over his mattress because he found that he was more than ready to leave his room and busy himself with something. At this point, he would willingly watch paint dry to avoid sleeping. 

Pushing open his door, the young brunette shuffled down to the elevator in hopes of reaching the common floor. For whatever reason, Stark had always stored the snacks several flours below them and the young hero never understood why. Shaking his head, he found the issue trivial and trekked forward, forgetting the thought quickly. However, before he reached the elevator, he took a peek into his father's faintly illuminated room and smiled. It was nice to see the man sleep for once. Deciding to take a step in, the young hero noticed that the older man was sprawled out on the king’s size bed and wasn’t protected with a warm comforter. Huffing and rolling his hazel eyes in newfound annoyance, he quickly hurried to cover the older brunette with a black feather stuffed blanket. 

“Nighty night dad. Sleep well.” He whispered as he finished tucking Tony in and turned on the fan. 

Finally side-stepping out of the room, he rolled his jaw and set for the lift. The word ‘dad’ had felt strange, he had only been adopted a few months ago and apart of him felt that it was too early to address his adopter as such. Granted, he had been mentored by this man for two years before the accident but that hadn’t made it any better. 

Being so lost within his own thoughts he had barely registered the ding the elevator made as it deposited him into the common room. Nevertheless, he wandered over to the kitchen and began to rummage through the masses of food to find his red-headed Aunt’s secret hot chocolate packets. She always hid them next to the pack of flaming hot Cheetos no one ate. So, like a small child, he climbed on top of the marble counter and opened the cabinet to find his treasure. 

“You are up late.” A sudden voice said coldly as the young man was shoulders deep into the chips. 

“Fuck!” Jerking up, the hero hit his head against the wooden shelf and let out a string of additional curses before dislodging himself and glancing behind him. 

“Language, зайчик.” As the young hero caught a good look at the man, his body softened. He wasn't in danger. 

“Hi, Mister Bucky, whatcha doin’ up?” He asked, trying to strike up a casual conversation, although, he wasn’t really expecting an answer. Barnes rarely spoke to him, or anyone really. It seemed that he had spent most of his time lost in his own thoughts. Which, of course, wasn’t a bad thing, Peter found himself away with the fairies more often than not. 

~~~

Scanning the child for a moment, Bucky analyzed his posture. The kid was sitting hunched on the counter swinging his legs while clutching his stolen hot cocoa packet. Despite him looking relatively carefree, it was clear that he was utterly exhausted and was teetering on the edge of a mental break down. Calculating his next actions extremely carefully, the soldier huffed and leaned against the island while extending his hand to take the packet. 

“I could ask you the same thing.” Though he was agitated, his voice didn’t carry out his emotions and he was pleased when the young hero gently set the mix in his metal hand. 

“Also, m’ not a Bunny, m’ a Spider.” He mumbled as his soft brown eyes watched the other hero dump all the ingredients into a blue ceramic coffee mug. 

“Don’t deflect.” He stated gruffly, as he glanced over to watch the younger hero’s nervous rigid movements. 

“Why should I tell you?” He blurted out. A surge of curiosity hit him at full force, this man had never seemed to take an interest in him before, so why now? Had he missed some major clue? Should he be concerned? 

“Because, I now have something you want,” Mixing the powdered mix into the cup, Bucky placed the chocolate liquid into the microwave to boil it. “Now, why are we stealing Natashia’s mix in the middle of the night?” He did his best to stray from sounding cross, but when it was a default setting, it was a bit hard to sound like anything else. However, the child didn't seem to be too off-put by his unwavering tone. 

“Cuz. I’m not tired.” As the words fell from the younger man’s mouth, a small pout formed and Barnes had to prevent himself from smiling. It was cute, Steve did the same thing when they were younger. However, he needed to be stern because it was obvious that the teenager was lying through his teeth. 

“Don’t lie.”

~~~ 

A moment of suffocating silence passed between them and the younger man kept his gaze low. He currently was trying to make sense as too why Bucky wanted to know. He knew the man hadn’t disliked him and by no means did he dislike him but, still, it made no sense. He had always kept to Steve or Sam and never ventured out of his private circle often. Thinking back, he had noticed that Bucky had been picking him from school more often and had been making an effort to talk to him more. He had even put newspapers in his shoes when it got cold. So maybe this was him trying to reach out? Deciding to indulge him, he spoke up.

“I-um, I had a nightmare.” He admitted softly. 

“I’m sorry Petey… Uh- do you want to talk about it?” The question had caught Peter by surprise, he had never heard the older man sound so human before. “You don’t have too-” James tried to quickly amend as he caught the startled look on the younger man's face.

“I don’t like trains.” 

Another moment of silence lingered between them and Barnes looked shocked, then furious. He couldn’t- no he didn’t want to fathom why Peter was experience nightmares about trains. The soldier had no idea where it had come from, but when he found out what happened, he was going to- 

Then it hit him and he released a deep, disappointed sigh. He had been flipping through case files a couple of days ago and one line, in particular, had seared itself into his brain, '_Spiderman had suffered substantial injuries in Europe due to a collision with a high-speed train.'_ Sparing a glance at Peter’s face, he felt his face soften as he caught silent tears roll down his pale cheeks. He could only imagine the trauma that must have brought him, and for the first time in a long time, Bucky felt as if he could cry out of sympathy. 

“Hey, I don’t like those bastards either.” James joked, trying to lighten the mood with a strained voice. Watching the tears fall at a constant rate had made James emotional. He hated how destroyed Peter had looked and he saw it fit to never allow this pain to go unavenged. “Have you ever watched Thomas the train? Those fuckers are frightening.” For a moment, the older man mentally bitch slapped himself, trains and scary in the same sentence was not going to bode well. However, much to his surprise, he noticed a wide smile stretch on Peter’s face.

“Oh my gosh,” Peter giggle through his clasped hands. “They kind of are. Have you ever seen the Teletubbies? No? Well, there was a baby sun that would rise and I would always cry and Aunt May would have to give me a cookie to settle me down.” A snort escaped Barnes as he smiled softly before handing the child the mug of cocoa and watching him sip it daintily. 

“Careful, it's hot and that doesn’t sound like you were scared, it just sounds like you wanted a damn cookie, зайчик.” James snorted loudly. He’d have to make a mental note to make cookies later. 

“Mmm, maybe a little of both. But I am telling you, to a small child, that is one of the scariest sights to see, besides Santa clause.” Clapping his hands together, Peter concentrated on the floor to add a dramatic flair. 

“Mhm, I believe you… So, I can assume you are not going to go back to bed huh punk?” Turning his attention back to the child, Bucky patiently watched as Peter swung his legs back and forth. For half a second the image reminded him of how Steve used to plop himself on the old cracked counter and wait for him to make coffee in the morning. 

“Nope,” Peter answered popping the P at the end, not noticing the older man’s fond stare. 

“I see. What do you usually do when this happens?” He softly questioned as he silently watched the young man ponder for a moment. It seemed as if he was unsure and Barnes, for a moment, thought that he had overstepped a boundary. 

“Uh, nothing really, but I guess it happens all the time. I am surprised I actually made it out of bed this time.” Peter said with wide eyes and stiff limbs.

Well, wasn’t this troubling? Humming in acknowledgment, Bucky racked his brain to recall what kids nowadays do. The child needed a distraction, and he needed to replace the fear with something entertaining. 

“Well, what’s that thing you kids watch all the time nowadays? Youfube?” He knew damn good and well that it was YouTube and not Youfube, but he figured a little bit of intellectual embarrassment would be worth it if it made Peter smile. 

“You're so old! It’s YouTube!” Peter giggled as he took another small sip of the cocoa and smiled. 

“Okay, look here pal, I am 101 years old.” Bucky laughed back as he pointed an accusing finger towards the child’s chest. “It isn’t like they have an ‘about the future’ manual for old guys like me.” 

“Super old. Nursing home status old.” Peter responded with the traditional Stark snark that would have made his father proud. 

“Okay, one, rude, two, do you want to watch videos to pass the time?” He asked as he, once again watched Peter weighed the options before coming to a conclusion. 

“Uh, sure?” 

“Yes or no зайчик, I don’t do any of this sure business.”

“Yis.” 

“Okay, come one.” 

Waiting for Peter to hop off the counter, James grabbed the mug and followed the child towards the living room. As he took a seat, FRIDAY dimmed the lights, powered the television and released what smelled like Lavender oil into the air. Under any other circumstances, he would have been concerned, but everyone knew that the AI wouldn’t do anything to harm Peter. So, he did his best not to think about it. Look over quickly to make sure the spider was comfortable, he noticed that the young hero was curled in a thick quilt that Natashia had made for the living room. 

“What? Going to hog all the blankets?” Barnes asked as he bent forward to snatch the remote off of the coffee table. 

“Whaaacha.” Unraveling himself, Peter tossed part of the blanket onto Bucky and scooted in to retain most of the material. 

“Thank you.” Bucky sighed softly as the child settled against his arm without any traces of fear. 

“Is there anything you wanna watch?” Peter piped up as James was searching around for the YouTube icon. 

“Mmm, no, you are one here that uses it more so you can choose.” Finally finding it, Barnes quickly clicked it and watched as the logo flash across the screen before venturing to the search bar. 

“Okay, how does doll repainting videos sound?” 

“Interesting.” 

“You should search for Dollightful. She is super good. HeXtian is good too, I like his My Little Pony line.” While clicking the letters in, confusion hit Bucky and he had to furrow his brows. My Little Pony? What the hell was that?

“My Little Pony?” He questioned as he waited for the video queue to show. 

“Oh, uh, yeah, it is a show about friendship,” Peter answered nervously, and Bucky cocked his brow. It seemed as if he was embarrassed by liking the show let alone knowing what it was. ‘_ Unacceptable _’ Barnes concluded. He was going to have to bug the kid in the future to see if anyone is making him feel this way. 

“Sounds good, we’ll watch it next time,” Bucky said sternly as he chose a random video and sunk further into the couch as the channel's intro played. 

~~~

Every now and again, he spared side glances at Peter to analyze his facial features. The child overall seemed to be content and relaxed. The videos seemed to be doing their intended purpose and James was pleased with the outcome. He had known for quite some time that Peter had been constantly running on a mixture of stress and tears, so it was nice to see the young hero take a moment to breathe. 

A form of sadness washed over him, he knew the second he could, Peter would be back out on patrol and if James were to be honest with himself, that terrified him. He had seen first hand what this life could do to someone and now with the increase of HYDRA numbers in the city, he was afraid Peter was going to fall victim to a few more things than beatings and stabbings. But, the frustrating issue in all of this was, he could only protect the teenager as much as he would allow him to. He knew damned good and well that he couldn’t stop Peter just like he was never able to stop Steve. Both were going to do what was right, even if that meant sacrificing their lives. However, Bucky would sooner see himself dammed to fire and brimstone before he saw Peter dead. 

“Hey, Mister Bucky?” Peter asked as he set his finished mug onto the table.

“Yes?” 

“Why are you doing all of this?” 

“Because...” What was he supposed to say? That he needed to protect someone? Or that he was too much like Steve? Or that he just simple cared about him? 

“It’s okay Mister Bucky, I care about you too.” 

Blinking for a moment, Bucky was dumbfounded. He hadn’t said anything out loud, had he? After a bit of internal debate he concluded that no, he hadn’t. So how did the little one know? Then he realized the faint smile on Peter’s lips and sighed in mock annoyance. Peter had already known the answer before he questioned his older counterpart. 

“You’re a smug little shit, you know that?” 

“Yes.” 

“Shut-up and watch the damned video.” He grunted with a smile before falling back to his previous line of thought. He was still worried about the child’s future, but he had opted to pet Peter’s hair soothingly than allow the anxiety to eat him alive. 

~~~

As the hours drifted away from them, Bucky found that he knew more about Monster High and Bratz Dolls than he found useful. He would probably be just fine if he never had to hear ‘Mr. Super Clear’ or ‘Apoxie sculpt’ again. However, despite not particularly favoring this content, he would do it all over again if it meant putting the younger man’s mind at ease. Glancing down to his left, he smiled softly as Peter drew and released gentle breaths slumped against his shoulder. It was nice to know his suffering had paid off. Dislodging himself from the blanket, he covered the remaining exposed parts of Peter’s body and shifted back into the couch comfortably. He was well aware he was stuck in that position for the next several hours, however, he couldn’t find himself to care. The only thing concerning him now was keeping Peter safe and rested. 

“I’ll be here in the morning зайчик. Sleep well.”


	2. You Have Nothing To Fear My Dear, Brother.

James Buchanan Barnes was doing the sole thing he thought he would never do. He was sat against cold and unforgiving metal watching the burning balls of light framed in the night sky as he fought a mental war with himself. He felt conflicted. Confused. Lost. Frightened. Frightened may have been too soft of a term for the emotion he was experiencing, downright petrified was a more likely fit. He had endured the worst acts imaginable to man and made it out relatively fine. He’d fought wars he never asked for and made it out intact. He had been forced to murder innocent people and it hadn’t completely degraded his psyche. Yet, he did he damndest to ignore the issue and focus on the alluring sky above him. The stars gleaming against the black night were stunning but they couldn’t hold his attention for long. He knew he wasn’t emotionally nor mentally stable enough to face the issue plaguing his conscious and subconscious, but he was painfully aware he would have to make sense of it sooner than later.  


Closing his eyes, James ran his hands down his face and pushed his palms against his eyelids. He didn’t even have the slightest inkling of where to start. A part of him screamed to be present in the young hero’s life and yet, the other whispered in an icy voice that he would be the teen’s demise. At the very thought of hurting the child, the one he damn near claimed as his own, made his stomach lurch. He felt as if he was going to puke. Images of blood and funeral homes flashed at the forefront of his mind and against his training and judgment, the man flipped to his side and dry heaved. Nothing hit the floor, and James couldn't proclaim he was surprised, he hadn't had an appetite all day. This worry gnawing at his mind had driven him to the line between insanity and mental peace. The ex-assassin was well aware he couldn’t carry on like this, he would end up a shell of who he was before, but this issue felt so great he couldn’t help but to waste away under its mental strain.

“Jamesy?” A soft feminine voice called out, cutting through the stillness of the night and James’ thoughts.  


“Evening Natashia.” He responded flat and monotone because he didn’t trust his voice enough to do anything but. “What brings you out tonight? What happened to that healthy sleeping schedule you are doing with Peter?” He listened keenly to her advancing footsteps and willed himself to relax. She was his family, his sister in arms, and he was sure in knowing that she would never hurt him.  


“He is fast asleep, so unless you tell him, he’ll never know.” Sitting beside the man, the redhead woman stared at him with furrowed brows. “Your stress lines are showing again брат, what is wrong?” Her nimble fingers reached for the man’s head as she swiped stray hairs out of his eyes and face. It didn’t take a world-class detective to see the storm clouding his eyes and she would be lying by saying that it hadn’t concerned her.  


“Peter. It is about Peter.” The woman watched the man intensely before inwardly sighing. She had deduced that Peter was a likely factor in this jumbled equation, but despite her years of training, the answer to this problem had eluded her.  


“Oh? Pray, do tell.” Gently maneuvering his head from the embrace of metal to rest upon her lap, she began to massage the other’s scalp with her manicured fingertips. She had seen the stress and fear manifest on his features and knew that he’d unknowingly create a painful headache if some tension was not released.  


“I-I don’t… I don’t think I am fit to be around him. I don't want to hurt him.” James whispered through his hoarse voice cracks. The negative thoughts and possibilities storming in his brain physically made his mind feel weighted with lead. He had felt useless and in a moment of vulnerability, his eyes pool with tears and nose clog with snot. 

“Sometimes I think it would be best for me to leave.” That sentence was heavy on his chest but even heavier on his tongue. He didn’t have the slightest desire to budge from the comfortable little home he had made. James Barnes wanted to see all of Peter’s great achievements and be there when he failed to help him stand tall again, but his past seemed too much of a precursor to be around the teen.  


“Well, you can’t leave. He needs you now.” She responded softly as her fingers migrated down to the man’s temples. “Oh, don’t look so surprised.” She softly reprimanded. 

“Do you remember when you sat up with Peter when he had a nightmare?” James thought for a moment before a soft smile forced itself on his lips. It had been the moment where he launched himself from stranger to confidant and the soldier was convinced he would never forget such a vital moment with the teenager.  


“How could I not? Those doll videos he loves ruined my month.”  


“Mhm, sure they did,” She snorted with an amused and knowing twinkle in her eye, “But, he needs that type of comfort more. Tony does his best, and as strange as this sounds, my heart breaks for him because of how much the man struggles. He tries so much to be there for Peter every waking moment but he can’t. He can't raise Peter on his own and even though all of us do our best to help him, no one the team does a better job than you and Tony.” Pausing a moment, she chuckled. “And sometimes Steve. But no one cares about Stevie.” They both shared a curt laugh at the thought of their closeted goofball and Bucky found the knot clenching his heart loosen.  


“I feel a bit better.” He remarked as he lifted his weight off of her folded legs and sat up to face her with a troubled look.  


“But?” Natashia prompted.  


“But… If I mess up, I am going to lose all that I have gained. I don’t want to lose those tiny smiles Tony gives me.” Taking her smaller hands into his own, the man released and a sigh and continued. “I know, it sounds so weird...but those private smiles he gives me are so comforting and I don't want to lose that or him.”  


“I guess you could say that he makes you feel like a million Bucks?”  


“Oh Ha-ha, very funny сестра.” He responded sarcastically but her little pun did earn her a soft and playful smile.  


“James.” Suddenly her tone hardened and he immediately met her eyes. “You will never hurt Peter and you will never hurt Tony.” Placing a soft hand against his cheek she resumed, 

“You are a better man than that. Have faith in yourself.” He felt those troublesome tears return but this time he could fight them and a pang of anxiety rushed through him.  


“I am just so… scared.” He admitted to her lamely. The sentence made him feel so emasculated, so weak and broken. He loathed it, he wanted to squash the feeling and bury it deep within the depths of his mind but those thoughts were momentarily forgotten when he felt a gentle thumb rubbing his cheekbone.  


“I know брат, and that is okay. You are not less of a man for admitting it,” Inhaling deeply, she rested her forehead against his and released the breath. “Our Petey needs support and you are the best person to give that to him. I know it.”  


“I am going to do the best I can.” He sobbed out. The floodgates were complete shattered now and he couldn’t prevent the steady flow of tears trailing down his cheeks. Yet, the feeling of weakness no longer lingered and he felt at ease as he wept. The tears were no longer acid burning his skin but now evidence of mental cleansing. For the first time in a long time, he felt completely at peace.  


“You are going to be okay. Let's go inside, feed you and get you in bed.” Standing, she extended her arm and he took it. He would always take it. He would follow wherever she would lead and he was positive that he would be better for it.  


He wasn’t sure of a lot of things, but if Natashia believed in him, then he figured he should start having a little faith in himself self as well.


	3. Cookies and Confidence

As he watched his fuming father stomp out the room holding his progress report, he released a soft sigh. He hadn’t felt the shame he was readily expecting and despite being unpleasantly lectured at, he couldn’t find himself to care about anything concerning his academic performance. He knew he was failing and he didn’t _ care _that he was failing. The dark whispers lurking in his mind had convinced him that he was nothing more than a spinless waste of carbon molecules. So, if his usual motivating subconscious had abandoned him, he couldn’t quite understand why his adopted father had been enraged.

Logically, he could string together why father was deeply upset and disturbed by his most recent failures, but his indifference towards the subject still stood. The school didn’t expect him to graduate, let alone go to college, so it was okay. They were going to fail him and he was going to be just fine. A moment passed and an amusing yet realistic thought flashed to the front of his mind. He wouldn’t make a bad Stripper. He has been relentlessly told by many that he had a great body and it would be a shame if he hadn’t displayed it more often. 

The young hero spared a moment to dwell on the advice and reasoned that he would make far more money teasing men than slaving away in a five by five cubicle. It would likely be more entertaining for him as well. But, would he be alright with people staring at him? Could he even remove the first article of clothing? He figured that his first few rounds on the stage would be difficult, but ultimately he would get used to the attention. Maybe he could even thrive in it. Placing his finger on his lip, he realized the more he thought about the matter the more he looked forward towards it. But, it surely would disappoint his family, right? He was sure they would plaster fake smiles and support him because they loved him, but he knew they would whisper among themselves about his intellectual potential being wasted. Yet, he knew for a fact that you can’t waste what you don’t have.

“Whatever,” He sighed emotionlessly as he began to subconsciously rub soft soothing circles on his solar plexus. “I don’t even care.”

Remaining still for a moment, he stared blankly at the white baseboard. He wasn’t tired, however, he wasn’t radiating with energy either. He just felt empty. Perhaps empty wasn’t the best word, Peter thought softly to himself as he continued to examine his feelings. Neutral, or inert was a better description. His mind had felt heavy and he found it was difficult to feel anything outside of the murky limbo he was trapped in. Regardless, Peter heaved himself off the chair and flopped on his bed like a dead fish. He could mentally unpack and sort his emotions, or lack thereof, later. Lying on his bed, Peter half-heartedly glanced around and looked for anything remotely interesting. The sensible part of his brain rationalized that he should attempt to attempt something, but he wasn’t sure quite what. Nothing seemed mentally appetizing. Yes, he possessed a ton of overdue projects but he could even begin to motivate himself to even look in their general direction. Allowing his eyes to wander a bit more, he soon found an old Rubik's cube and he felt his brow cock in interest. It was mixed to all hell, but it seemed like it would give a good twenty minutes of entertainment. It seemed that it would be enough to chase away some time so, he leaned over the edge of his bed and snatched the box off of the carpet. It wasn’t anything remarkable but his brain ignited and he felt a bit of fog that weighed him down, lift. As he found a new position on his back, his eyes wandered over the colors and their incorrect combinations. His brain calculated the errors quickly before his nimble fingers began to flick the squares into their proper places.

His time prediction seemed to hold true, as soon as the twenty-minute mark passed, Peter dumped the game back onto the floor and stared holes into his ceiling. Back to square one, he supposed. He figured he could watch a film, or do some random calculations to pass the time, however, he hadn’t felt up to it. He hadn’t felt up to anything. His brain flipped through options that would be vaguely entertaining but none seemed appealing enough to get out of bed for. The only activities he possessed the energy to commit to was to waste away on his bed and think about a random tick-tock he watched a month ago.

* * *

Even if the barrel of a gun was pressed against his temple, he still wouldn’t be able to accurately relate the time that had passed him by. The sun had slowly touched every crevasse in his room before retreating and fading into darkness as the moon assumed it’s nightly position. He should have been concerned, the entire day had fallen between his fingers like water and he made no attempt to prevent it. He had been on his bed motionless since the early morning and now the day had transitioned into the night and he had completely nothing. He hadn't’ even ate even though he was starving. he had felt his stomach growl its demands of being fed, but he had stubbornly ignored it because he hadn’t found the motivation to move. He was too comfortable and tired to give in to his primal instincts. 

As he was swimming in his quiet and fleeting thoughts, his ears perked at the sound of something dropping to the floor. It sounded metallic but he couldn’t immediately identify what fell by the sound. He debated for a moment whether he should investigate or let it be, but his curiosity got the better of him. Willing himself to spare a laborless glance over, he saw that nothing was astray and felt frustration set in. He must have been descending into madness because he was positive he was hearing things now. 

“Well. It be like that sometimes.” The Spider murmured to himself as he began to resume his mindless staring. He didn’t find anything better to do so might as well-- The sound happened again. 

Moving at a speed he was sure his emotionally worn body couldn’t operate at, Peter shot up and brought his fist to his chest and widened his stance. Once could be dismissed as a mistake of hearing, however, twice indicated that something possibly dangerous was afoot. Permitting his eyes to scan the room obsessively, Peter stood so very still and slowed his heartbeat. He needed to be able to tap into every sense he possessed because he was sure the threat wasn’t minuscule. It took a large set of balls and a great deal of skill to infiltrate the tower without being detected and Peter would be damned if he underestimated anything.

The spider quickly assessed every minute object in the room just as Natasha had taught him but he found absolutely _ nothing.  _ Violently sucking in air, Peter brought his fingers to his face and bitterly pinche the bridge of his thin nose. 

“I am being ridiculous. Nothing is here, because nothing can get in here. Dad would never let that happen.” Shaking his head at his own foolishness, Peter snatched a green towel off of his dresser and headed for his shower. 

He opened the white wooden door that led to his bathroom and released a soft sigh and then a grunt as he peered into the mirror. He looked like an absolute wreck. His hair had begun to collect grease and flatten while his face felt as if was painted with cooking oil. He felt utterly disgusting. Without wasting a moment, Peter dumped soap on his palm and rubbed them under the strong water current before reaching for his face wash. He may feel miserable, but that wasn’t an excuse to look miserable.

Washing the oil build up from his pores, Peter patted his face dry with a clean towel. The simple washing had boosted his morale and he began to feel a bit better and decided that he would feel wonderful once the oil in his hair extracted. But a looming issue clouded his mind. He had felt uneasy undressing due to the event that occurred moments before. He knew Tony had built the town and his room especially, to withstand any threat. It was highly unlikely anyone would be able to discreetly slip past the standard security and then the security of the penthouse but he knew that the chances were never zero. 

“Stop it.” He muttered bitterly to himself as he yanked a tuft of hair. He had thought back to earlier in the day where he was debating the idea of stripping and reasoned that he had better get used to being uncomfortable and naked. 

* * *

“Mr. Barnes? Could I have a quick word?” The voice had drifted so softly into his room that James was sure he was driving himself mad with the work before him. Grunting, he had dismissed it in favor of continuing the piece he was constructing but he then heard soft knock against his door and then a skittish presence filled the room. 

Reluctantly, he paused pushing graphite into a sheet of paper and cast a glance behind him. He was expecting Steve but was quickly dumbfounded by what he saw. An exhausted-looking Tony Stark was standing at his door and was awkwardly clutching a paper against his chest. If James were, to be honest, he wasn’t sure what to make of it. His confusion only intensified as he began analyzing the scene before he felt his chest constrict. The paper Stark was cradling tightly appeared to be a thick grated paper and Barnes’ brain couldn’t help but name the horrible situations the paper could detail.

“Oh, um, yes, and it’s Bucky.” Standing to meet the other man, James tried to relax his posture. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Stark feel threatened, but he found it difficult, the man was invading his safe haven. Yet, at the same time, they were friends now--well, friends may have been a stretch, but Tony spared him smiles even when he had made idiotic mistakes. So, the least he should do is listen and provided a relaxing place for the tiny mechanic to wind down. 

“What can I do for you?” Without saying a word, Tony handed the taller brunette the folded piece of paper and then fell into an uncomfortable, and sheepish slouch. “I don’t understand, why- oh.” Opening the paper, James was astounded with the series of letters and class names. “How is he failing everything? Math, Chemistry, Physics? Isn’t- I thought he was the top of his class?” 

“He was.” Tony forced strongly out while swiping his index finger over the arch reactor nervously. “I got an email from the school saying he wasn't turning in any work and I-.” The man’s face contorted and it was clear he was doing his best not to cry. “I just- I know you two are close and I need to know if there is anything he had has told you that could point toward why he hasn’t been doing his work.” 

“He hasn’t told me anything about school but, he doesn’t sleep well. Maybe that is the issue?” He offered as he watched Tony shake his head and cover his eyes as his lip quivered. “Okay, well, first let’s sit down.” Concerned flashed over his face as he took the other man’s hand and lead him to the edge of his soft bed. 

James was still a bit stumped, the usually tiny angry man before him was tightly holding his hand and tapping against his chest nervously. The entire scene before him had made him feel uncomfortable because he was in no way equipped to deal with this pediment. Yet, he felt something, something strange. It wasn’t pitying, but it wasn’t priding either. He had felt this feeling before, but it only occurs whenever Peter was in trouble or upset. After a moment of silence breezed between them, realization dawned on him and he felt a wave of stupidity wash over him. When he saw Tony, he saw hints of Peter flaked in the man’s personality and facial features. The familiar feeling dwelling at the pit of his stomach was his instinctive need to protect. 

Exhaling, Barnes closed his eyes and began to unpack this revelation. Tony and Peter trusted him and in return, he provided comfort and protection. As his brain made the connections he had realized that man clutching his sweater wasn’t trying to intrude, he was reaching out for help.  _ His _ help specifically, and he felt he had the responsibility to obliged. 

“Take a deep breath Tones, it is going to be okay.” The brunette whispered softly as he brought the smaller male against his heart. At first, James believed that he had crossed a boundary, but Tony respond by tucking his head underneath James’ stubbled chin. 

Despite the intimacy, Bucky hadn’t felt uncomfortable. It was nice to have someone safely wrapped between his arms and be able to protect them. Reeling in the dopamine rush he received from the tender moment, he decided that it would be an appropriate time to discuss a plan of action. He knew that they couldn’t discuss anything too in-depth because the smaller man’s reasoning skills were incredibly and seriously stunted due to the lack of sleep. 

“Hey, Tony-Tone, how about we get you into bed?” As soon as the words had left his lips, James noticed that Stark had an aggravating stubbornness riddled across his features. “Okay, how about I cut you a deal,” Bringing his hand to Tony’s hair, he began to softly card his flesh fingers through the strands in an attempt to lure the man into a sedated state. “You get a couple of hours of shut-eye and I will make sure Peter catches up on his math work. After that, when you have had a couple of hours of sleep, you can sit him down to do his Physics and Chemistry, then maybe Stevie will help with the rest. He has always been super good at English and History. Sound good?”

Anthony seemed to weigh his options slowly. His eyes fell as he pushed away from the warm embrace of Bucky’s chest and curled into himself with a pout. Stark released a slow sigh as he fiddle with the hem of his shirt as he tried to come to a decision. It took his brain longer to process the information and James found himself being slightly irritated with the scene before him. He wasn’t necessarily upset with Tony’s attitude, or his typical defensive and ruthless behavior, but rather his horrible habits. James believed that they had entered the realm where it was appropriate for Barnes to be worry and concerned by Stark’s self-damaging antics. 

“You aren’t going to let me say no are you?” Tony mumbled in defeat as he side glanced at the man beside him. 

“Correct. Tony, you should rest.” 

For a moment, the men stared at each other before Tony did something that truly surprised him. Without further prompting the smaller brunette sheepishly fell down to the pillow and huffed dramatically. He felt as if he had witnessed a historic moment, he never could have imagined that Tony Stark-- The Tony Stark-- would ever obediently comply with a suggestion he wasn’t thrilled about. Yet, there he was, small and curled into James’ pillow with furrowed brows and a petulant frown. 

“This is bullshit.” Stark tiredly spat as he slapped his hand on the pillow to show his displeasure with the situation he was placed in. He didn’t want to be tired, he did not want to fall asleep here, but he felt comfortable and safe. A faint voice kept whispering that it was alright for him to be vulnerable because it claimed to know that James wouldn’t take advantage of his lulled state. 

“Mhmm.” 

“So Stupid.” 

“Mhmm.” 

“I am not even that tired.” Stark finished softly as his eyelids couldn’t bear to hold their own weight. He was well aware that his body was losing consciousness but he would be damned if he didn’t fail without a fight. “I can stay up. I’m… I am just comfy right now.” His voice sounded worn, but it was the best he could do and he knew that it was the most unconvincing case he had ever made. 

“I believe you.” The ex-soldier cooed as he stood from the edge of the be and he walked over to his cabinet to retrieved his weighted blanket and drape it over the mechanic. As he turned, he tried not to be surprised to find Tony half asleep and completely at ease in his company. It was a pleasant sensation as he reclaimed his position on the bed and began to pet the other man’s soft curls. 

“Here, I’ll even tuck you in.” Doing as promised, James placed the blanket on the man and was sure to stuff some of the blankets under Tony’s body. “Comfy doll?” He asked softly as he watched the other man sink further into his bed and drift off to sleep. 

“Yeah,” He murmured absentmindedly as the toll he had been taken on his body came back full force and requested the energy debt. “Thanks, Bucky.” 

“Sleep well Tone-Tone.”

* * *

Leaving Tony behind to rest peacefully, James traveled down the cool metallic hallway and stopped at a heavy Vibranium carved door. The thought of sharing the recent developments that took place on their floor made tension gather behind the man’s brow bone. A small, selfish part of him thought that he held some sort of right to keep the interactions between him Tony locked in his mind, but the thought of keeping a secret from Steve was daunting. James couldn’t bring himself to lie to those puppy dog eyes and it felt disgustingly wrong to spend an intimate moment with the man’s crush and not notify him. Yet, he found that he still didn’t want to inform the other of anything. 

Sighing deeply, he took a moment to study the symbols and etchings littered on the door face. The man hadn’t noticed it before but, the art was strangely reminiscent of the Asgardian palace walls and gardens. The memory of visiting the realm before it was destroyed brought a smile to his face and the grin grew once he recalled the time he had spent with Loki. Allowing his fingers to trace the etchings, he chuckled at the pranks they would unleash upon the general population and the intense bonding moments they shared. It would be irie to spend time with the god again and James supposed it would be wise of him to ring the man on the telephone to discuss his concerns about Peter. Loki had all but drowned the boy in affection and parental adoration by their second visit and James felt that the god may be a bit more adequate to tutor the boy than he was. 

A sound from inside his partner’s room brought him back to reality as he retracted his finger from the crevasses. Right. He had something to do. Without a sense of hesitation, James knocked on the other man’s door and received a curt and faint “Come in!” 

“Stevie?” Barnes called in confusion as he pushed the door aside and stepped into an absolute mess. His worries were complete cast aside as he was smacked with the chaos of everything: clothes were strewn across the room, dishes were piled on his dresser, artwork and supplies were haphazardly placed throughout the room. “Well, it is nice to know you learned literally nothing in the military.” 

“What’s good brah?” The blond responded in a high pitched tone making the brunette cringe in abhorrence. “Oh yeah,” Looking around the blond shrugged the domesticated war zone off like it was nothing, “I didn’t feel like doing anything today. Peter introduced me to video games and I think I am in love. I get to shoot people with no repercussions.”

“First of all, that is disgusting, don’t ever speak to me again, second, this can not be healthy-- don’t you dare call me a Boomer-- and third, Tony is asleep in my room.” James playfully spat as he watched Steve flopped on his bed, causing the wooden framework to strain under his weight. 

“And here I thought you didn’t like him? Hmm?” The blond teased as he locked his swinging feet behind him and rested his chin into folded hands, “What happened? Did he flash those big brown eyes at you?” The Captain inquired further as he rolled off his bed and started to fold an unbearably large mound of clothing that substituted as his sleeping partner. “Or did he fluttered those long cute eyelashes at you and you caved?” Tossing a look over his shoulder, the blond fluttered his lashes with a knowing smile plastered on his thin lips. 

“Look here pal,” James huffed out with a thin layer of sweat building on his temples, “he is your little crush, not mine. But, I thought you should know that he came into my room on the brink of tears earlier.” For a moment, he could clearly make out the man’s muscles from underneath his clothing by how tense he was and James thought the man was going to experience a seizure. Without delay, Bucky rushed over to Steven and began to silently fuss over the man. 

“Why?” The rigidness released slightly in Steven’s body and Barnes exhaled a relieved sigh he hadn’t known he was holding. “Is he okay?” The blond asked next before he found himself buried into the man’s broad shoulder seeking comfort. 

“Yes Stevie, but take a deep breath first.” Doing as instructed, Steve stole a breath before signaling Barnes to continue. “Peter apparently hasn’t been doing any work and we just got his progress report back. He failed everything.” There was a solid beat of silence and Steve’s jaw hung as his head fell gawking at his partner. 

“Everything? How? I don’t- is  _ he _ okay?” The disbelief was quickly erased as a look of fear and sorrow flashed across his features. 

“I don’t know Punk, I am about to find out.” Giving a reassuring back rub, James continued, “I also told Tony that you would help with his history homework. Kid failed a World War two unit test, but he is allowed to retest for a better grade.” A sigh of relief escaped the blond as he palmed his eyes in an attempt to keep from crying. 

“I would be happy too.” He whimpered out as he felt Bucky’s firm hand on his forearm grounding him. Falling silent for a moment, the blond’s brows furrowed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just don’t understand, he is so smart! This is so unlike him, and I'm starting to really worry about him. Last week he seemed to be disassociating.” 

“Well shit…” Barnes muttered under his breath, he had no idea what was provoking this attitude from Peter, but he was sure he was going to stop it. 

“You know,” Steve whispered with his brow arching in realization. “He has been coming home from school with bruises. At first, I thought it was because of his patrol but then I noticed he never left with the same bruises.” Bucky loathed the implication behind his friend’s frightening words as he felt his muscles constrict ready for a fight. 

“Do you think-”

“Yes,” Steve said cutting him off with a distant look. “Ned and MJ told me about the boys on the football team. MJ said if they aren’t hitting him, they are hitting on him. MJ didn’t go into specifics but it sounds like there may be some foul play in all of this.” Inhaling, James tried to compose himself.

He couldn’t process the fact that Peter may have fallen victim to bullying but his brain wholeheartedly refused to accept that anyone was stupid enough to harass the boy in a sexually inappropriate manner. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend the stupidity it must take to think that it was alright to hand out unwanted touches or comments like they were trading cards. These idiots had to have known the fiery and hellish consequences that were going to arise from their actions. 

“Imma fucking kill them.” James blurted out seething with untainted anger. “Imma fucking slit their nose and drown them with a cat.” 

“James, stop it, first of all, these are kids-” The blonde counter in a scolding manner, completely taken aback by his partner’s sudden fuming temper. 

“So?” Bucky quickly countered, “That doesn’t fucking matter. Boy, girl, so what? If someone is hurting Peter I don’t care who or what they are!” He knew that Steve was doing his best to calm him down to a reasonable state, but James was so caught up in the idea of someone hurting his kid that the dialectic part of his brain went offline. “And Considering that Peter is a Junior, I have a hard time believing that Sophomores and Freshmen are doing this to him-” He spat back, now folding his arms and his temple vein protruding. 

“Second, what good are you to Peter if you are in prison-”

“I wouldn’t get caught.” He huffed out, staring Steve down with his glacier blue irises. He knew Steve’s aim, but he didn’t understand it. Why wasn’t the blond as upset as him? 

“And third, it would devastate Peter. You know this.” He retorted calm, staring right back at the brunette without any trace of fear. 

There was a brief moment of tense silence between them before James broke and brought his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Perhaps he did need to recuperate and take a moment to analyze the situation lain before him. He was well aware that it was senseless to go around murdering people and he was even more aware that it was what HYDRA programmed him to do. 

“Kid is too good for his own good.” 

“Mhm, he would be extremely upset with you.”

“He’d get over it.” He spat back with an unnecessary amount of venom in his words. 

“James.” Steve breathed out slightly irritated. He understood the anger, he had felt it when he was first told, but he was fairly sure that well-deserved murder wouldn’t be the best for Peter and his psyche. 

“Okay, okay, but I swear to god, I will make sure those “kids” will never walk again if they pull this shit again.” A soft smile played on the captain’s lips as he observed the overly protective personality take over. He thought it was cute, and it was nice that Buck had someone to focus all of his energy on. 

“I know Buck, but right now, you need to focus on helping Peter. He needs as much love and support as he can get, and if I am going, to be honest, I think you would be the person best suited for that.” 

“Thanks, punk.” A faint ghost of a smile twitched on the other man’s lips but his eyes appeared to be filled with sorrow and, ignoring his basic instinct, Steve refrained from commenting on it. “Okay, okay, well, lets divide and conquer... Over the course of the next few weeks, I think that we should keep keen eyes on both Tony and Peter.” 

A first, James was met with a questioning look before Steve found his voice and used it. “Why Tony? I mean, I know he is a walking disaster, but he is a grown man and will not kindly take to being cared for.” ‘ _ I’ve tried’  _ Steve thought to himself with an intense eye roll. 

“Well, he is going to get over it because he hasn’t slept in almost five days. At this rate, he is going to either kill himself or drive himself crazy.” 

“Fucking hell. Only Tony huh? Okay, I’ll do my best to feed, water and make sure he gets some rest. You make sure Peter is alright in every sense, okay?” 

“Sounds good Punk.” Briefly bringing the other close, they shared a lingering hug before they force themselves to part. Throwing a quick glance over his shoulder as he quickly stepped towards the lift, he duly noted that Steve had disappeared into his room after a series of curses from Tony.  _ Typical _ . Bucky huffed in amusement. 

* * *

“Peter?” Coming towards the child’s wooden door, James cocked his brow when he heard a frantic ‘Wait!’ from the other side of the wood. “Are you okay?” He called out with concern laced in his voice. Barnes was already wound and ready to fight, so if Peter was in danger he knew that he would waste a moment to hesitate. 

“Yes! Okay, you can come in now.” Peter squeaked out as he quickly pulled a vibrant green hoodie over his head. “Why are you here?” The boy questioned as he watched the man enter his room with tight movements. “Not to be rude or anything, but don’t you have your first mission in a few days?” 

“Mhmm, yes, but I came to talk to you.” Gifting him a side glance, Peter took a seat on his bed and analyzed the other man’s body language. Every movement the man-made was stiff and unnatural and it made the young boy extremely uncomfortable. Steven had told him to be cautious when James displayed this type of behavior because it was a good indicator that the WInter soldier had taken over. “Not here to hurt or yell at you.” Bucky quickly clarified before forcing his body to relax and stealing a spot on the mattress. 

“You look like you are going to yell at me.” The teenager pouted stubbornly as he gathered his overly fluffed blue blanket and wrapped himself tightly in it. “I will not sit here and be yelled at again.” 

“Sorry, I just want to know if you are okay.” Peter shot him a skeptical look before sinking further into his covers. It wasn’t that he distrusted the man before him, but he wasn’t sure what the motive was behind the question. Did his father tell the world about his god-damned progress report? 

“Yeah, Tony showed me,” James answered as if he could read the teen’s mind. “I’m not mad if that is what you are wondering. Tony isn't really either. He is more scared than anything.” Leaning on his prosthetic arm, Barnes watched the young man with an intense gaze. Peter was fond of microexpressions and if James wasn’t honing in on the skills he collected throughout the years he would have missed some vital information. 

“Sorry.” Peter apologized weakly with a small grimace. He hadn’t intended to be the cause of his father’s stress, in fact, he always practiced to avoid being involved like that and with this newfound knowledge, he faintly began to feel the harsh tugs of guilt. 

“Don’t be. Shit happens. I just want to know what shit happened so I can help you.” Turning his body fully towards the boy, James folded his legs on the bed and await an answer. 

“Everything is fine.” The young hero gruffly huffed out as he found his vocal strength. He didn’t feel the need to inform the older man on anything about his current predicament. Peter was the master of keeping his problems close to his chest and never displaying them. 

“Define fine,” James asked softly, as he allowed his eyes to clash with the younger male’s. It was an uncomfortable exchange and Bucky had never known that Peter possessed this dominate trait he was exhibiting, but he wasn’t going to succumb to his discomfort. 

“I’m not dead and I am not likely to be anytime soon,” Peter responded in a calm and even tone as he maintained his unyielding eye contact. 

“That is a terribly surface level of fine there Petey. Did something happen at school?” Suddenly, Peter’s narrowed brown eyes fell as he began to blankly stare at the stuffed bear his father gave him. “Ahh, so something did happen, do you want to talk about it?” 

“Nothing happened.” 

“Mhm, and Steve isn’t an overgrown two-year-old.” James received a soft snort before Peter reverted back to his stone-cold facade. “Look зайчик, what you tell me stays with me. I am not going to tell anyone.” He felt horrible for lying, but he needed the intel. He needed to keep Peter safe and he would do just about anything to maintain that need. 

“Are you going to be mad?” He questioned with throwing an incredulous look in James’ general direction. 

“No, not at you at least.” 

“So…” Shifting uncomfortably, Peter mindlessly fiddled with the hem of his shirt as he tried to organize his jumbled thoughts. “There are some guys at school, um, and they…” Being patient, James waited for Peter to finish despite feeling a horrible weight coil at the pit of his stomach. “Push me?” 

“Okay, they push you, anything else?” 

“Sometimes punch, sometimes not I guess.” Shrugging, Peter gathered the loose ends of the blanket and rewrapped himself before settling against his Yale blue wall comfortably. 

“What does ‘sometimes not’ mean?” He had to do his best to prevent his voice from breaking, the look of fear painted on Peter’s face made Bucky want to cry. Swallowing down the tension behind his eyes, he continued his line of questioning. “Are...Are they stepping a personal boundary?” 

“Depends. What personal boundary?”

“Are they giving you unwanted sexual attention?” 

“Flash doesn’t let it happen when he is around,” Peter answered while keeping his eyes low and slanted. 

“Who is Flash?” He had heard short stories of this Flash character and none were positive. 

“My bully since sixth grade, but he has long since stop physically hurting me.” Peter murmured out with a hint of confusion. “He will sometimes let the other punch me but never touch me inappropriately. He and I have a really weird set up, I can’t even begin to relate to you how many times he has patched me up or held me while I cried. It doesn’t feel like he wants something, but at the same time, it does. It’s just super weird.” Peter sighed wiping tears from his eyes. “He recently lost a close family member and he says I remind him of them.” 

“Well… That is interesting.” He murmured to himself quietly as he mulled over the information he was given. He never tried to stray too outlandish conclusions but it seemed like this Flash character was laying his cards wisely. Deep down, he hated to admit he knew that Peter was an exceedingly vulnerable individual despite his unusually high intellect. It would be elementary for anyone, including Flash, to yank and tug at Peter’s heartstrings to manipulate the boy to do whatever they wish.

“You’re mad… You said you wouldn’t get mad.” Peter accused as he shrunk into himself and began to look around his room in an attempt to break the tension. 

James forced out a calming sigh and coerce his tense muscles to fall into an eased state. He realized now was not an appropriate time to ponder on the implications behind Flash’s motives and in exchange for discarding those thoughts, he brought the boy before him towards his chest. He wasn’t well versed in comforting people, but grabbing the teen and hugging him came second nature to the soldier. 

“Sorry, I am not mad at you зайчик-I just- it’s hard to hear this.” Rubbing soothing circles on the child’s back James did his damned best to cajole the younger male to relax. 

“Sorry,” Peter mumbled pathetically against Bucky’s hand-knitted sweater. He hated to cause trouble and he really loathed when his problems lead to people worrying. He saw all of this as his problem and his problem alone which is why Peter felt so aggressive and threatened when Bucky came in and tried to help. 

“No, don’t ever be sorry. We care about you a lot Peter, and when something hurts you, it hurts us.” Pulling his fingers through the younger man’s hair, he tried to pull the boy into a lethargic state so the child could get some much-needed rest. 

“Okay.” 

A long silence passed between them and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Peter wasn’t going to succumb to the wordless suggestion of sleep. It was a bit frustrating, yes, but he couldn’t truly say he was surprised, so, Bucky made the executive decision and broke the useless stillness.

“Is there...Is there anything else?” He really wished there wasn’t. He desperately needed to know there wasn’t, but he had a strong feeling that he was scratching the surface of an iceberg. 

“I-I don’t think the school doesn’t want me to graduate,” Peter whispered quietly that and if James had had his undivided attention on Peter, he wouldn’t have heard it. But still, he answered lamely with a ‘What?’ 

“They keep throwing curveballs at me and I have no idea why… This is going to sound so stupid but, it feels like they hate me or something?” The teen sounded so frightened that it kicked James’ fight reflexes into high gear. He knew that there was not a single soul he could physically fight, but the quivering tone in his kid’s voice made him grit his teeth and clench his fist. 

“I couldn't even begin to fathom why anyone would hate you зайчик.” He said with unexpected calmness. “But, if it makes you feel better, your father and I will have a strong word with the school to get this all situated out. Does that sound good?” 

“Hmph, you sound like such a dad,” Peter said with an amused huffed. “But, yeah, I would like that. Also… Speaking of dads, is mine okay?” He asked timidly, he knew he upset his father greatly but he didn’t know the true extent to it. 

“Yes,” Thank god Peter had changed the subject, he didn’t know how to properly respond to the first comment the child had made. He wouldn’t exactly qualify himself as ‘dad’ material. “I finally got him to sleep, but he is safe and sound.” 

“I..I didn’t disappoint him too bad right? I should probably go apologise, I was really mean to him.” 

“I think that would be a good idea, and no, he isn’t disappointed he just worried. But, enough with all this being mopped shit, let’s go make cookies.” Heaving himself off the bed, he stretched and waited for Peter to detangle himself from his blanket fortress. 

“You know how to bake?” 

“Of course kid, where do you think Stevie got his sweet tooth from?” 

“Wait!” Peter said suddenly with eyes wide and brows furrowed. “Is the one that eats all the pop-tarts in the morning?!” Peter looked genuinely upset and Bucky had to prevent himself from snorting. 

“Maybe.” He responded back with a firm smile. 

“Well, maybe he is going to catch these fists,” Peter mumbled and James couldn’t help but roll his eyes in amusement. The kid was too much like Steve. 

“Okay, I am sure Steve would be happy too, but we those cookies are not going to bake themselves now are they?” 

Shaking his head, Peter hopped out of his bed and dared to raced James to the elevator. Of course, the soldier accepted and was more than happy to allow Peter to win especially since it made Peter smile brightly for the first time that night. 

* * *

Stepping into the kitchen, James observed the area and hummed quietly to himself. The area was lavish and it didn’t particularly surprise James, Tony had always struck him as a flashy individual. He only prayed that the kitchen was usable and not just for show. 

“So do what kind of cookies should we make?” James’ questioned as he helped the younger brunette get settled on the center kitchen island. 

“Something with lots of chocolate!” Peter loudly exclaimed with a sudden burst of energy that made James smile fondly.

“Okay,” James’ chuckled as he ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately. “But on one condition.” Peter began to pout and slouch like a five-year-old but he still patiently waited for the older man to lay down his conditions. “We have to finish some of your math homework.” 

“NoOoOoOo.” Peter wailed and threw himself on the floor dramatically and whined about how he didn’t want to work so late at night. Under any other circumstances, he would have been ashamed to behave so poorly, but something told him that this was alright. He knew Bucky wouldn’t mock him. 

“Your teenage temper tantrums aren’t going to change the rules. You only get cookies if you do your math.” Picking the child up with an entertained smile, Bucky set him back into the chair and adjusted the things the were knocked or pushed askew. 

“Okaaay fiiiiiinnneeee.” Peter groaned in a typically moody teenage fashion as he looked around for a quick distraction. If he could stall then maybe he could convince Bucky to let him go to sleep and forego his work completely! His brilliance never ceased to amaze him. “For every five questions can I have a cookie?” 

“For every ten.” Bucky offered as he began to search for the ingredients they needed to prepare for the treats. He knew what the child was doing and he was sad to say that he wasn’t going to fall for the trick; however, he was more than happy to play along. 

“Every seven?” Peter countered with a cocked brow challenging the older man’s offer with a smile. 

“Fine, now it is for every twenty.” Bucky amended and smiled when he heard the disbelieving sound that left the boy’s soul. 

“Noooo! Every ten! I can settle for ten!” Peter plead once he discovered he wasn’t going to win this game. He was daring but not stupid, he now knew better than to challenge the ex-assassin again. 

“I am glad we came to a consensus.” The older man hummed pleasantly as he slapped the ingredients on the counter and began to knead it into dough. “Okay, sit down and use that big boy brain of yours. Ask if you need any help, okay?” 

“Okaaay.” He whined again as he dug through his bag in search of a useable pencil and his math work. Once finding it, he placed it on the table and set to work with the determination to be able to consume the chocolatey goodness. As he progressed through the sheet, he came to the conclusion that none of the calculations were hard, they were just tedious. He knew how to do all of this but he just didn’t want to do it. It wasn’t mentally stimulating.

“This is so stupid.” 

“Mhmm.” 

“Really stupid” 

“Mhmm.” 

“Like, super-duper stupid.” 

“Mhmm.”

“But you have too, especially if you want cookies.” He heard another loud huff and a lead pencil scratching against paper and he couldn’t help but smile as the wet and dry ingredients started to transform into the cookie dough. “I know you are bored, but you need to get as much work done now so you don’t have to do it later.” 

“I guess you are right.” Peter sighed as he rested his palm against his rosy cheek. 

“Of course I am right Kiddie, I am always-” James smiled with pride before he was cut off by a certain brunette child.   
“OK Boomer.” Peter giggled out with a wide smile. “Hey, do you think you could tell me about the dinosaurs or what it was like to be a caveman? My finals are coming up and I think that you are the man to help me.” He knew he was hilarious but he absolutely died when he caught a glimpse of the baker’s offended facial features.

“Listen here you little shit,” James grunted as he pointed a wood spoon towards the child across from him. “I am old, but not that fucking old.” He wasn’t upset, but he found it fun to play along with the child’s insults. 

“Oh, yes, yes, silly me. You were around to babysit Jesus.” Leaning forward Peter laughed and James felt a wide smile creep on his face. He was pleased to see Peter relax for once.

“Oh my fucking god.” Bucky huffed in mock annoyance. “You know what? No cookies for you, I refuse to feed children my hard work when they insult me.” Separating the dough, he started to place the round balls onto the cookie sheet with perfect symmetry. 

“Aww no! I am very sorry.” 

“Are you though?”

“Not really because that was funny, but I want some cookies please!” Bouncing up and down in his seat, he tried to take a peek at the metal tray to see how many cookies are going to be made. 

“Well, they are not done yet. So you will have to wait a little bit.” He heard a loud groan as Peter face-planted into the marbled counter. “I know, the horror.” Bucky chuckled as he watched Peter continue his theatrics. 

“Oh, by the way, I am finished with my math Homework. Here.” Handing the paper to Bucky, he watched as the older male look over it approvingly. 

“Good job зайчик, I am very proud of you.” He responded genuinely but, the pride faded from his face when he saw the disbelieving look on the younger hero’s features. Had he not been told people were proud of him? Or if they did, were they not palpable with their tone? Either way, James found it unacceptable and he made wordless pledged to shower the boy in praise whenever appropriate. It hadn’t taken him long to realize that Peter’s self-confidence was at dangerously low levels and he had decided long ago that he was going to make this issue his mission.

“Really?” He asked softly. He wanted to believe it--God did Peter want to believe it-- but something in the back of his mind told him not to get his hopes too high. 

“Yes, I have always been very, very proud of you зайчик. You are so smart and you have done good work today.” Ruffling the boy’s hair, Bucky sent the most earnest smile he could conjure because he felt a paternal need to provide a sense of safety and security. Something, a rather nagging something, despised when Peter experienced anything remotely negative. 

“Thanks, Mister Bucky, you’re the best.” With wet eyes, Peter sniffled and then hugged the older man’s torso. At first, the sudden action made every muscle in his body constrict but he eased into it and he felt himself tear up. God, this boy made him such a mess, but he didn’t think he would have it any other way.

“I speak nothing but the truth Petey, now, do you want some cookies?” 

The duo was silent as Bucky opened the oven and retrieved the fluffy cookies. The wordless air between them wasn’t awkward, quite the contrary actually. Neither one felt the need to smoother the stillness with their words or actions and for once, they found that could just exist. Placing the cookie pan on top of the stove, James turned briefly and took a moment to study Peter’s features. He seemed relaxed, slumber some even, and he couldn’t stop the small grin tugging at his lips. The kid was adorable and it reminded James of when he used to care for Steven when he was small and sick. As he began to wander down the rabbit hole, a sudden idea smacked his brain and a forgotten memory slithered back into clarity.

~~~

_ “Bucky!” Steven hollered as he hobbled over to the brunette nursing a black eye and tattered clothes. “You’re back, finally.” Untucking his sleeves, Rogers collected himself from the trash heap he was situated in and rushed towards the taller man with a huge smile. “So, I may or may not have done some stupid stuff while you were gone.”  _

_ Analyzing the fragile blond, Barnes couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh in expected disappointment. Steven swung his fists at something undoubtedly bigger than him again and ruined his clothes again. It would take him at least three days to repair the damages done. Shifting his focus from the material, he took in the several bruises littering his slim body and face. James couldn’t pretend to lie and say he was surprised, the little blond shit had always been able to find his way into an altercation, yet, the commonality of this sight didn’t stop the anger. He had never ceased despising the cowards that would gladly fight the blond. He had found their practices of preying on the weak as downright revolting and every time he had to nurse his partner back to health he felt his control slowly chipping away.  _

_ “I leave for a week and you fight everything in a five-foot radius. Ridiculous.” Pushing thoughts of the thugs far from his mind, James spared a half-smirk down at his best friend. “Come on punk, let’s get you home and get some food in you.” Taking his other arm, James brought the bruised and battered teen against his side affectionately as they trotted home.  _

_ “Please tell me you have the key?” James asked in a tired tone as he hawkishly watched steven fiddle with his pockets.  _

_ “I do. What? Thought I’d lose it?” He looked up smugly as he dangled the key in front of his friend’s face.  _

_ “I mean, with all the fights you lose, I thought it was just commonplace for you to lose everything.”  _

_ “Ouch, that one hurt Buck.” Steve shoved the copper key into the lock and forced the thin wooden door with small playful giggles to himself. “Home sweet home!”  _

_ “Well, nothing is broken or ruined.” As he followed into the small Brooklyn apartment, Barnes released a pleased snort when he realized everything was how he left it. “I am proud of you!” Taking the younger man’s face between his hands, he grinned widely as he observed the gentle fire burning behind the blond’s baby blue eyes.  _

_ “Hey! Lemme go!” Steven pouted as he tried to push the hands squishing his narrow face away. _

_ “Or what punk?”  _

_ “Or I’ll hug you till you surrender!” He declared fiercely as he slithered out of Barne’s grasp and into his chest with open arms. “I’m glad you are home, Buck.” Returning the embrace, Barnes tightly wove his arms around the blond smaller body and rest his face against the crown of his head.  _

_ “Me too punk, me too.” He released a deep sigh before separating and rewarding Steve with a gentle grin. “You are the best, you know that?” Carding his fingers through the abnormally soft hair, he took great pride in feeling Steve relax against his hand.  _

_ “Psh, don't lie to me Bucky Bear.”  _

_ “I speak nothing but the truth Stevie, now, how about some cookies?”  _

_~~~_

The fleeting memory triggered an idea and Barnes felt like a genius. Without uttering a word, he skipped to the cabinet and stole a tall glass cup before filling it halfway with milk beside the sink. Warm milk had always lured Steven to sleep and he couldn’t see why Peter would be any different. Popping the glass into the microwave he set the time for a minute 

“What are you doing?” 

“Something I used to do for Steve when he was a little shit.” 

“Was?” 

“Yea, now he is just a big shit.” Removing the cup from the microwave, Bucky placed the warm glass in front of the child. “Here you go kiddo.” 

“Thanks, mister Bucky.”

As time passed, Peter drank down his milk and it wasn’t too long before a tidal wave of drowsiness washed over him. He didn’t want to fall asleep, he really didn't! But, between the warm milk and James’ flesh hand rubbing against his back gently he didn’t stand a chance. So, instead, he laid his head down against the counter and gave in to the sleep his body needed. Lingering comfortable in the weird zone of not quite asleep but also not fully conscious, Peter felt Bucky carefully pick him up and carry him towards the elevator. It didn’t take long for them to end up at Peter’s bedroom, and it took even less time for the Sargent to tuck in his favorite spider. 

“Thanks, Mister Bucky,” Peter mumbled as he fisted his shits and pulled them up around his chin. 

“Sleep well зайчик.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you have enjoyed! If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments.


End file.
